blog 5

Rachel Eldon and any other robot, or artificial being is a robot, not a human. They do not have any conscience, or any free thinking, feeling, or emotions.

It was very evident in the graphic novel Do Androids Dream of Sheep that Rachel Eldon was in fact not a human and was in fact a robot with artificial intelligence because of her non emotional responses to the test given to her. Rachel Eldon did not have the appropriate response time to questions that were meant to bring out an emotional response. Although she did have the accurate verbal response she lacked the all-important emotional response because she had no emotions. Granted a real person with memories, emotions, and feelings might also fail this test but not for lack of being human. A person with Autism or any other psychological or emotional disorder would have trouble passing this test as well because their emotions and emotional responses would vary from a regular ordinary person.

Emotions come from memories where something happened and it made us feel a certain way. With robots they have no memories so they have no emotions.

blog 8

Course reflection

After 12 weeks of coming to class and learning about science and technology I can honestly say that I have acquired a different view on both science and technology. I have a broader knowledge on both the optimistic side of things as well as on perilous side of science and technology. I still have no interest in robots and and artificial intelligence, and artificial food, or any interest in science graphic novels however I must say that I know a great deal more about it then I ever wished to know. This class has got me thinking about all the outrageous ideas that human kind has, and people will stop trying to achieve things that will ultimately end up in catastrophic endings. I had never thought before about whether or not I will one day be outsmarted by a robot that sentence still makes me laugh even after this class. I believe and will always believe that robots will never compare to real flesh and blood and human brains. I also stand by my thoughts of technology going too far, little kids should not be at home playing on tablets and smart phones and video games, and other gadgets. They should be outside getting exercise, fresh air, and using their imagination. What will happen to the world when all the kids forget about imagination? Well that is what will happen with continues creating of useless technology.

brainstorm research paper

For my lib 200 class i have to write a research paper on a topic that somehow connects science and technology with Humanism. It seems a though the two cultures have been separated by a thick line that only recently people have dared to cross. I myself am a strict humanist with hardly a slight interest in crossing the line of separation but it seems as though i am forced to by this research paper required by my professor. In order for me to get through this paper i will have to pick a topic that holds my interest and is less science and technology and more humanism. Their were two topics talked about that caught some of my interest although i will still need to look into them further to get a stronger understanding and grip on the topics. The first one to catch my eye was research paper idea number one. Taking a book and discussing its presentation of science and technology. The thing i don’t like about that is that i don’t want to read a book and focus on the science and technology aspect of it. If i read a book i want to absorb myself in the interact relationships between the characters and the setting, time, place, era, ect where it takes place. Although one of the suggested books on that list caught my attentions it’s called The Echo Maker by Richard Powers. This book is about a man who believes that all the people in his life have been replaced by doubles. I can’t exactly say what i would write about if chose this because i did not read the book yet. I suppose i would write about whatever medicine or experiments where in the book. The second topic that caught my eye was from research paper idea number three, writing about the attraction theory and how evolutionary psychology has been used to explain attraction. This interests me strictly because of the topic name. As a humanist i am interested in what makes people attracted to the people they are attracted to, however this topic scares me because of the amount if science that will be involved in this topic. It is completely saturated in science and scientific theory. I am not ready to write a paper let alone an entire research paper based on science or technology. I guess i will have to start reading the Echo Maker by Richard Powers and start gathering what i can about the author, and the book, and whatever controversy the book may have caused if any.

blog 2

Does popular science of today awe us? Inspire us? Or threaten us?

                For many years society has drawn a thick bold line separating the world of science from just about everything else. However in the past recent years people have gradually worked on blurring that line so today it is not that distinct, there is still however a separation between the two worlds.

                One of the ways people have tried to make the line between science and the rest of world not as defined is through writing novels, producing  movies, and making television seriers. One such television series I enjoy watching is The Big Bang theory.

                The Big Bang Theory is about a group of four friends three of which are scientist.

The way The Big Bang theory portrays science in this television series is wondrous, and awe inspiring. With the experiments they do and robots they make as well as other scientific gadgets they are able to create are really incredible.

                The way these scientist personalities are portrayed is almost typical to the stereotype of “science geek” that society has assumed on all scientist. These guys talk with a vocabulary consisting of words no shorter then seven characters. Even the simplest thing being said is over worded and said in the long worded scientific language.

                The Big Bang Theory does a great job at blurring the line between the world of science and the rest of the world. They dumb down the science and make what they are doing relatable to the rest of the people.

blog number 7

Albert Einstein
      For this blog assignment i will write about Albert Einstein the last of the scientist that we learned about in class. Albert Einstein was a restless Jewish soul. As a young boy Albert would make things difficult for his teachers and parents alike. Albert Einstein would hardly attend class, rarely do his home work and fall off in day dreams far away when his teachers spoke to him. However despite his lack of interest in school and school work he managed to graduate from secondary school in Zurich with astounding grades in math and physics.
        Einsteins restlessness fallowed him past school and into the real life as well. Being that Albert Einstein was Jewish it became increasingly hard for him to find  a teaching job that he had wanted. Einstein had to settle for working as a clerk in the patent office. He was bored and uninterested with his job as a clerk and spent most him time with his brain wondering off and pondering the thoughts of time. In 1905  Einsteins wondering mind and contemplation of time paid off. 
         In the summer of 1905 Albert Einstein finally came to the conclusion that E=MC^2. Although this formula would later be used to form the Hydrogen Bomb and some people would end up blaming Einstein for the tragedy that bomb caused. I strongly believe that Albert Einstein's telling the world his discovery was in fact the right thing to do and the disastrous effects the H bomb caused can not be laid at his feet. 
        Through the reading of Einstein's Dreams and the movie we watched in class i believe that his life was not as easy as many people may think. Einstein had to go through many obstacles to get to where he ended up in life, and to accomplish the things he accomplished. The one point in the movie that really made Albert Einstein come to life in my eyes and appear human as apposed to some science guy from the past was learning about his and his wife's relationship and finding out they had to go through the terrible ordeal of giving up a child due to the ignorance of society of that time.
         Both the book and the movie did a good job at bridging the wide gap between science and humanism. While the movie had me feeling something other then disinterest with Einstein the book enabled me to explore inside the mind of a genius. 

hey ya'll

hi my name is shifra siegel my birthday is in 13 days and ill be 21 FINALLY. i have a 14 month old daughter and have a passion for acting. ill be graduating in the summer and going on to city college to get my ba in early childhood education. when i am done with that i will get my masters at city as well in educational theatre. i hope to be a life changing teacher one day and really make a positive imapact on my students lifes.